Ranieri Wins Maiden Tour Title At Niagara Open

Unseeded Canadian Miranda Ranieri completed a remarkable run at the Pepsi Niagara Open in Ontario, Canada, to earn her maiden WISPA World Tour squash title in only her third appearance in a Tour event.

The Toronto-born 22-year-old defeated England's Leonie Holt in the championship final at The Club at White Oaks in Niagara on the Lake 11-8, 14-12, 11-5. Ranieri had a terrible start, falling behind 0-5 in the first game before rallying for the win. The second game was key as Ranieri survived squandering a 9-3 lead and a controversial call late in the game that didn't go her way.

"Miranda was absolutely thrilled - this was a big win for her," said her father Mike Ranieri. "Her long game was absolutely fantastic; her opponent had trouble digging the ball out of the corners. She was very nervous at the start but was able to get her confidence back. And not letting that call in the second game upset her was crucial."

Ranieri opened the tournament eliminating seventh seed Tina Rix of England, then took Canadian university champion and fourth seed Stephanie Edmison of Toronto - and in the semi finals took out sixth seed Larissa Stephenson of New Zealand. Stephenson had upset top-seed Karen Kronemeyer of the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.

The victory is another feather in Ranieri's cap for 2008. Back in March, she won a national US College women's singles title - only the third woman from Yale University to achieve the feat. This week however, the biology student wasn't expected to be in the mix for the title!

The competition was an event on the Canadian Squash Circuit for the 2008-09 season, as well as a stop on the women's pro circuit.

The Canadian Squash Circuit is a national tour consisting of Men's PSA and Women's WISPA sanctioned events across Canada. Canadian players compete for points in the Canadian Squash Circuit standings, which culminate with a year-end Grande Finale between the highest point earners from the Men's and Women's Circuit. The Canadian Squash Circuit's goals are to provide Canadian squash players with an opportunity to play at a high level of competition within Canada and to increase the level of awareness of squash in Canada.

Final:
Miranda Ranieri (CAN) bt Leonie Holt (ENG) 11-8, 14-12, 11-5